Time Warner Cable Makes Good On Threat To Pull CBS In Certain Markets, Showtime Nationwide

Days after only briefly pulling the plug on CBS in New York, L.A., and a handful of other markets and nationwide access to Showtime, Time Warner Cable has gone and done the deed for real this afternoon, as negotiations between the two parties failed to reach a happy ending by today’s 5 p.m. ET deadline.

In a statement on the TWConversations site, the cable provider writes that “CBS Corporation, the owner of several TV networks and broadcast TV stations, has made outrageous demands for the right to continue delivering their programming to our customers. As a result, several CBS-owned channels have been removed from your lineup, while we continue to negotiate for fair and reasonable terms.”

According to TWC, here are the markets and stations impacted by the blackout:
Los Angeles: KCBS and KCAL-Ind.
New York: WCBS
Dallas-Ft. Worth: KTVT-CBS and KTXA-Ind.
Boston: WBZ-CBS and WSBK-Ind. (carried in parts of NH and MA)
Chicago: WBBM-CBS (carried in parts of WI)
Denver: KCNC-CBS (carried in Gunnison and Telluride)
Detroit: WKBD-CW (carried in parts of OH)
Pittsburgh: KDKA-CBS and WPCW-CW (carried in parts of OH)

The majority of affected viewers are in NYC, L.A., and Dallas. Most of the other affected areas only contain pockets of Time Warner Cable subscribers.

In these cities, TWC subscribers will not have access to CBS programming, CBS Primetime on Demand, and TWC’s StartOver and LookBack services on all CBS-owned stations is unavailable during the blackout.

For people in cities not listed in the blackout, CBS programming is still available to viewers, but CBS Primetime on Demand, along with StartOver and LookBack services are not available for CBS.

Channels pulled from all TWC subscribers in the U.S.:Showtime
The Movie Channel (TMC)
Flix
Smithsonian Channel

TWC is temporarily offering Encore to subscribers who pay for TMC and Starz for Showtime subscribers.

We have no doubt that this nonsense will be resolved quickly. IN an era of cord-cutters, TWC can not afford to take away the top-rated broadcast network from the two largest markets in the country. Nor can it afford to pull the plug on Showtime in the final weeks of the final season of Dexter.

We have even less doubt that this will result in TWC subscribers paying higher rates and getting the same horrid customer service, along with more channels they don’t watch or want.